Shy Edward
by McJess
Summary: Twilight if Edward was really shy and Bella finds him annoying. First fan fic.
1. What is with Edward Cullen?

_The Shy Edward_

It was my first day at Forks High School. The place didn't seem as lively and bright as my school back in Phoenix but I didn't mind.

I went to the school reception and said to the dark-haired receptionist, "Hi, my name is Isabella Swan. I'm the new student."

The receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled.

"Why, hello, Isabella. I was looking forward to meeting you. Here is your class schedule and your school map. Your class schedule will tell you where your classes are and which teacher you are having. I hope you have an absolutely inspiring first day here at Forks High School," she replied, cheerfully as she handed me a few sheets of paper.

"Thank you very much," I acknowledged.

I walked out of the reception office and saw that a large number of people had arrived at school and were chatting while waiting for the bell to ring.

As soon as the bell rung, I looked at my class schedule to see that my first class was Biology. The room was in building B, in classroom 6. I had absolutely no idea where that was so I had to check the map. Luckily, the building wasn't far from where I was standing.

I reached the classroom just in time for the second bell to ring.

My Biology teacher was a man in his late 40s. The badge pinned to his shirt said that his name was Mister Michael Crenzer.

"Hello, my name is Isabella Swan. I'm new at the school," I said as I approached the teacher.

"Oh, yes, Isabella. I've been expecting you," he answered.

"You can call me Bella. Where do you want me to sit?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry but there's only one seat available, if you don't mind. Just over there", he murmured as he pointed to an empty seat next to a surprisingly beautiful boy.

The boy had pale skin as smooth as statue. His dark eyes were charming as well as dangerous. He sat motionless, as if he had been frozen.

I approached the table where this boy sat. His eyes followed my every move. He looked as though I was an enemy of his, as though I had harmed him somehow before this moment.

Suddenly, his hand shot up to his mouth. He looked like he was trying to cut off his own breathing, trying to smother himself. His hand was trembling, and then it tightened up into a fist. His free hand grabbed the end of the table and gripped onto it as though he was holding onto it to save his life.

I didn't know how to react. He turned his head away from me. Trembling. I sat down slowly.

We didn't speak at all for the lesson. He bolted out of the room as soon as the class was dismissed.

_What did I do?_ I thought to myself. The image of the boy covering his mouth and gripping onto the table for dear life was stuck in my mind for the rest of the day.

The next day in Biology, he did the same thing when I entered the room. But when I sat down next to him, he seemed like he was trying to calm himself down, as though he were trying to focus on reality after day dreaming something unpleasant.

"Excuse me. Would you like me to sit somewhere else?" I questioned. He shook his head in response. I was confused. He acted as though I was a murderer of some sort and now he wanted me to sit next to him.

We didn't talk again for the rest of the lesson, although, he didn't cover his mouth or tremble again.

At lunch, I sat with a few people from my classes. There was a girl called Jessica Stanley. She was the first person to talk to me yesterday. Then there was Mike Newton. Even though I had only been here for a little less than two days, I could definitely tell that Jess had a huge crush on Mike. The others were Angela Weber, Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley.

"I'm really glad that you're sitting with us, Isabella", Angela squealed.

"It's fine. I don't really know anybody here. Oh, and it's just Bella," I corrected.

I looked up just in time to see a group of five walk, well, more like strut, into the cafeteria.

Everyone at my table looked up and rolled their eyes. I was surprised by their reaction. The group of five must've been very well-known. Then, I realised. The boy who I sat next to in Biology was part of the five.

"Um, who are they?" I pried.

Jess looked up at the group and then to me. "Oh, they're the Cullen family. They're really, well, posh, I guess. Dr Cullen and his wife adopted them all," she retorted.

I peeked at them from the corner of my eye. They did look very rich and posh. They didn't touch their food.

I thought about the Cullens when I was in bed. They had all looked so beautiful. They didn't look like they belonged in Forks.

The next day, I had Biology just before lunch.

I sat down next to the boy as he seemed like he was trying to keep himself calm again.

"Excuse me," I whispered. The boy looked up and his brilliant golden eyes were staring at me. I lost my breath for a moment as I captured his beauty. He was waiting for me to speak again. "Um, d-do you have a problem sitting next to me?" I asked innocently.

"No," he squeaked out quietly. His voice was as smooth as his skin.

"You're Edward, right? Edward Cullen?" I questioned. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he nodded. I lost my breath momentarily again. It was like I was under some kind of spell and every time he looked at me, I would be knocked off my feet.

Just like every other day, we didn't speak for the rest of the lesson.

When the bell had gone for lunch, Edward got up slowly as though he wanted to talk to me but wasn't sure. He walked out of the classroom, casually. I followed him out.

"Um, Edward. Can I talk to you?" I asked. I was planning to ask him why he had acted so strangely on the first day.

As soon as he heard his name, he stopped and turned around.

"I-I was just wondering why you were acting the way you were on my first day," I managed to say. Edward tugged on the sleeve of my shirt and motioned me to a corner in the hallway. He didn't say anything. He just looked into my eyes as though he were trying to find something that wasn't there. I cleared my throat and he seemed to snap back from his search.

"What?" he asked confused.

"I wanted to know why you were acting the way you were on my first day here," I said slowly.

He looked puzzled at my remark.

"What way? I don't know what you're talking about. I have to go," he said nervously. Edward walked in the opposite direction of the cafeteria.

I went and sat down with Jess and the others.

"Are you okay, Bella? You look really angry," Mike questioned. He put his hand on my arm.

"Just mind your own business, Mike," I muttered under my breath as I shook his hand off.

"Okay, okay," he said sarcastically.

"ARGH! What is with that Edward Cullen?! He acts like I just stabbed him in the back with a knife! If he has a problem with me, why doesn't he just tell me?! I am so annoyed!" I hissed.

"Jeez, Bella! Calm down! Now, repeat the problem but don't yell it out this time," Jess called out.

"Look, sorry. It's just that Edward Cullen is annoying me so much. He acts like I have some kind of toxic gas coming from me or like I did something that makes him want to just lash out against me. Then, when I ask him what's wrong, he acts like I'm crazy and he doesn't want to be seen with a crazy person. Gosh, it makes no sense!" I revealed.

"What? Bella, Edward Cullen is a freak, okay? You know what? I'm going to ask him what his problem is. He has no right to treat you like that," Mike said as anger became evident in his eyes.

"No, Mike. Never mind. Let's talk about something else, okay?" I requested as I eyed Edward.

I was walking to my truck after school when I saw him. Edward Cullen was leaning against my car. What was he going to do? Or, what _had_ he done?

"Bella. I'm sorry about what happened after Biology. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me," he apologised. He walked past me to get to his silver Volvo. As he walked past, he put his cold hand on my shoulder. What did he think he was doing? He had no right to touch me after everything he did. Not even after he apologised. He hadn't even explained why he was sorry and why he acted all those ways.

I scowled at him.

When I got home, Charlie was talking to Renee on the phone.

I stormed up to my room.

"Bella! Your mom wants to talk to you!" Charlie yelled from downstairs. I turned around and stormed back down the stairs. I yanked the phone out of Charlie's hand.

"Hi, mom."

"Bella! Oh, honey, how are things over there?"

"Just fine."

"Come on! Tell me how your first day was!"

"Like I said, just fine."

"There has to be more than that! Any good-looking boys?"

"Mom! Look, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Why not? Bella, I want to know these things! Are you interested in any of them?"

"No, mom! As a matter of fact, there are a number of jerks!"

"Oh, Bella. You've only been there a few days. I'm sure you're just misunderstanding."

"Mom, you know what? I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Aw, okay, darling. Bye! Love you lots. Remember to call me!"

"Okay, I will, mom. Love you, too."

I sat cross-legged on my bed facing away from my window.

There was a cold hand on my shoulder and I heard _'Bella'_.

I screamed and jumped off my bed falling to the floor.

"Bella! Are you okay up there?" Charlie yelled.

"Yeah, Dad! I'm fine!" I shouted back.

"What do you think you're doing here?!" I whispered so that Charlie couldn't hear.

"I said I was sorry for how I acted. Can't you just accept that?" Edward answered.

"No! I can't just accept it because you didn't tell me why you acted like that! How can you expect me to forgive you if you won't explain it to me?" I hissed.

"Charlie's coming," Edward said as he looked at the door. I turned around to open the door.

"What's with all the noise, Bella?" Charlie asked suspiciously.

"Um, nothing, Dad. I just dropped my book. Sorry," I apologised.

Charlie shook his head as he went back downstairs.

I closed the door and locked it. When I turned around, Edward was gone.


	2. The Stupid Kiss

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight or anything to do with it. All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.

_**Previously:**_

_I closed the door and locked it. When I turned around, Edward was gone._

***************************************************************************

There was a note on my bed.

_Bella,_

_How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry?_

_Just forgive me and forget about it._

_I'm not going to explain it to you because I shouldn't have to._

_Edward._

What did he mean he shouldn't have to explain? Should I already know why he acted like that? I had to find out.

I had dreamt about Edward Cullen. We were sitting on a beach, talking. He was telling me about everything he was interested in. His shirt was unbuttoned. He had a beautiful body.

I woke up. What the hell was wrong with me?! Why was I having romantic sitting-on-the-beach dreams about a boy that I was ready to punch? I think I'm going insane.

Luckily, it was time for school so I didn't have to go back to my weird, so-called 'fantasy' dream.

For the whole day, I couldn't get the beach image out of my head. I couldn't get _him_ out of my head. Why did I have to be punished?!

I was at my locker, getting my maths books out. _Great._ I had dropped my pen on the floor. I bent over to pick it up when a smooth, cold hand reached out for it at the same time.

I looked up.

_Bump._

Next thing, I woke up with the school nurse's hand on my forehead.

"She'll be fine," I heard her say.

The nurse walked out of the room as I sat up on the bed.

I felt really dizzy, and my head hurt. I went to feel it when a blurry image grabbed my wrist.

I blinked the blurriness away. And there he was. Why did Edward Cullen have to be _everywhere_?

"What are you doing here?" I asked suspiciously. I shook his hand off.

"You got hit in the head," he said quietly. He didn't look at me.

"By who?"

"Some immature boys were throwing a football around in the hallway. It just happened to hit you."

"That's not what I remember."

"You're free to go, Miss Swan," the nurse interrupted.

I hopped off the bed with my hand clutched onto my head. I walked out of the school reception office and then I lost my balance.

Someone caught me before I hit the ground. And, it was a surprisingly comfortable hold.

I turned my head and saw Edward holding me.

"Why are you _everywhere_?" I asked.

"I'm not. I was walking out just like you were and then you ridiculously fell," he answered.

"I fell because I was dizzy!" I yelled at him. He chuckled and shook his head. "What's so funny?" I asked, annoyed. He sighed in response and kept walking.

"Wait!" I called out after him. He stopped in his tracks and but didn't turn around. "Are you, like, stalking me?" I eyed him suspiciously.

He let out a burst of laughter and turned to face me. "You are truly ridiculous, Bella."

That was it. I snapped. "Oh, _I'm _the ridiculous one?! Why won't you explain to me why you were acting all weird that first day? And, how do you know where I live? How did you leave so quickly? After all you've done, you have no right to call me ridiculous! And, I _know _that I didn't get hit in the head by a football. You were there when I dropped my pen! _You _hit me! With your big, fat, rock-solid head!" I screamed at him.

"Bella," he whispered as he grabbed my shoulders. "Calm down."

"No! I won't calm down!" I yelled as I pushed at his chest. Wow, he was strong. He didn't even budge. "Let go of me!" I cried. He let go and rubbed his temples with the tips of his fingers.

"You know what; I really am starting to hate you, Edward Cullen."

"Bella, don't be ridic- Don't be absurd."

"Just go away!"

"I'm just trying to help you before you end up getting run over by a car."

"Fine, if you won't go away, then stop trying to help me! It's not working!"

"Would you just let it go, Bella? Please."

"No, I am not going to let it go!"

"Okay, fine. Have it your way."

He picked me right up off my feet as though I was a toothpick. He slumped me over his shoulder with my face right behind his butt. _He had better not fart!_ I thought to myself.

"Put me down, Edward Cullen!" I screamed.

"I am not putting you down. We're going to be late for Biology if I do."

"Biology? I have maths. Wait, how long have I been out?"

"All of maths and about 15 minutes of biology."

"Great. Put me down now! I'll just keep kicking and screaming if you don't!"

"Bella, that's not going to do you any good." I started kicking the air and pounding his back. I couldn't be bothered screaming because then I would cause too much of a commotion. Instead, I just kept yelling 'Put me down, Edward!'

He put me down on my feet and picked me up again but this time, it was the '_Groom-carrying-bride-across-threshold' _hold. "What was the change for?" I asked, surprised.

"My shoulder was starting to slouch," he said as his lips curved into a slight smile. I scowled.

I continued yelling 'Put me down, Edward!' And finally, he put me down. But we hadn't reached our class yet. We were just outside building A.

"Why are we stopping here?" I asked as I backed away.

"Because. There's something I need to do," he answered, looking away hesitantly.

"And what is that?" I questioned.

He grabbed my shoulders and pulled my body to his. He looked deep into my eyes and then kissed me. His smooth lips crushed mine.

I could smell his beautiful scent that matched his beautiful body.

_Oh no._ I was kissing him back. Why was I kissing him back?! How insane was I?!

For some extremely stupid reason, I didn't want this to end.

He stopped kissing me. But he didn't move his lips away. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me. He pushed me away.

"I-I... Wh-what was that for?" I stuttered.

He looked away. "You wouldn't be quiet so I helped you out."

Okay, that made me angry. Edward Cullen had kissed me. But only to shut me up. I hated him!

"You're such a jerk, Edward Cullen!" I yelled. I slapped him in the face. Hard.


	3. Meeting Jacob Black

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Twilight series or anything to do with it. All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoy the story so far! True, the kiss doesn't make Edward seem shy. Sorry! Oh, well, please keep reviewing! Thanks heaps! **

**Jess xox**

***************************************************************************

_**Previously:**_

"_You're such a jerk, Edward Cullen!" I yelled. I slapped him in the face. Hard._

***************************************************************************

He didn't even move the slightest bit. And, boy oh boy, did my hand hurt. I clutched my hand to my chest and tried to hold back the urge to scream. It didn't work.

"OW! What the hell is wrong with you?! Oh, right. You have a stupid, rock-solid head!" I screamed in his face. I stormed off to Biology.

I honestly didn't want to deal with Edward Cullen anymore but I couldn't miss Biology. Or maybe I could. I could say that I went home because my head really hurt. Yes. I didn't want to talk to _anyone _right now. Especially not Edward.

I turned around and stormed off to my truck.

Hmm. That's weird. Edward's Volvo was gone. Good. He should've thought about what he did.

I sat in my truck. For some reason, I couldn't move. I just sat there. Rage and fury was welling up inside of me. I knew it wouldn't be safe to drive when I was so angry. I could feel tears starting to form.

I got out of my truck and ran towards the forest that was across the road from the school.

I sat on a log with my head in my hands. I couldn't think about this anymore. I had to forget that this ever happened. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind.

Maybe, I should just go back to class so that I could be distracted. So that I didn't have to think about this again. Ever.

Edward wasn't in Biology. I sort of guessed that he wouldn't be after not seeing his Volvo in the car park.

"Well, it's good to see you, Bella," Mr Crenzer peered at me over his thick glasses.

"I'm sorry I'm late, sir," I responded. I scurried to my seat. Biology was the same. Pretty boring.

At lunch, I couldn't stop thinking about the dream. It made me even more furious.

"Bella. You haven't said much today. You seem really distant. What's up?" Angela asked.

"Um, nothing. Nothing at all," I said trying not to look at anyone.

"Don't tell me it's that Cullen freak. Just wait 'til I get my hands on him," Mike growled.

"Mike, Mike. Just drop it. Please. For me," I pleaded. Mike looked into my eyes and I tried to hide the hurt and anger that I was feeling but I knew he saw it all because he nodded and put his arm over my shoulder.

After school, Mike walked with me to my truck.

"Um, Bella, do you mind dropping me off at my place? My car is being fixed and I won't get it back until tomorrow afternoon," Mike explained.

"Yeah, sure, that's fine," I said without any emotion. Mike smiled and I tried to smile back.

The beginning of the car ride was silent. It wasn't very awkward because I felt comfortable around Mike.

"Bella, do you want to go see a movie or something, with me tomorrow?" Mike asked innocently.

I wasn't sure if Mike was asking to hang out with me or actually asking me out so I said, "Uh, yeah, I guess."

I was going to see a movie with Mike. Straight after school, this Friday. Well, at least I wouldn't spend the day at home, doing nothing.

I got home late because I had dinner at Mike's house and met his family.

"Bella?" Charlie asked. Of course it was me.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm home. Sorry, I took so long," I apologised.

"It's okay, kiddo. By the way, Jessica called. She wants you to call her back."

I grabbed the phone and hurried upstairs to my room.

Jess picked up after the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jess. It's Bella."

"Oh, hey, Bella! I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping after school, tomorrow."

"Oh. Um, I'm kind of busy."

"Come on, Bella! Angela's coming too! What are you doing on Friday?"

"Well, someone asked me to go to the movies with them."

"Really? Who?!"

"Um... Mike."

"Oh. Um, I have to go, Bella. Have fun with Mike."

Jess hung up before I could say bye.

Edward didn't show up the next day. But I didn't care.

Jess didn't talk to me or Mike. She kept peering at me from the corner of her eye. I tried to talk to her but she made up an excuse to leave. I didn't bother again.

"Mike!" I greeted as I walked towards him standing at his locker.

"Oh, hey, Bella. We're still on for tonight, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course. Um, I was just thinking. Don't you reckon we should invite Jess with us? I mean she said she hadn't been to the movies in a while," I suggested.

Mike's face fell. "Oh. Uh, yeah, I guess."

"You don't mind if I tell her now, do you?" I asked. He shook his head slightly with a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. I smiled brightly back at him.

"Hey, Jess. I was wondering if you wanted to come to the movies with me and Mike," I said.

Jess looked at me suspiciously and then smiled. "Yeah, sure! Of course I'll come! But only if Mike wants me there. Does he want me there?"

I smiled and nodded.

School went by quickly.

Mike was waiting by my truck, slightly smiling. "You ready?" he questioned.

"Yeah. We have to wait for Jess, though," I answered.

"Oh, right," he said, disappointed.

My phone started ringing.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella? Honey, I'm sorry. I know you're supposed to go to the movies tonight but Harry Clearwater is in hospital. He's really sick and I think you ought to pay him a visit. I'm sure he'd cheer up if you went," Charlie answered in a rush.

"Oh. Um, sure, Dad. I'll be home in a sec. Bye. Love you," I hung up.

Mike looked disappointed as I explained to him. I told him to go with Jess. She was really excited but Mike wasn't. I kept apologising to him.

I met a boy called Jacob Black at the hospital. His father, Billy Black, was very good friends with Charlie and Harry Clearwater.

Jacob and I got talking and it turned out that we had a lot of common interests. It was quite stupid, but I asked him if he knew Edward Cullen. He told me that Edward was strange and that they didn't talk much. He was right.

Staying at the hospital with Jacob was better than going to the movies with Mike and Jess.

Jacob had invited me over to the La Push beach that weekend. We had a great time and Jake and I became very good friends.

Before I left, he warned me not to get into any kind of relationship with Edward Cullen. I wasn't sure why.

On Monday, Edward returned to school. He wouldn't ever look at me. I didn't care about him.

In Biology, we were learning about the human eye. Mr Crenzer went on about the cornea, the iris and the retina. I'd already spent an entire month learning about the eye at school in Phoenix.

Edward was slightly trembling.

I put my elbows on the table and put cupped my chin with my hands.

I could hear Mr Crenzer's voice in the background as I started to drift to sleep.


	4. Note From Author

_**Note from author:**_

**Hey guys! I'm currently experiencing a bit of writer's block and I'm not sure how to continue this story. If you have any suggestions at all, please help me out! Thanks so much!**

**Jess xox**


	5. Note & Animal Attack

_**Previously:**_

_I could hear Mr Crenzer's voice in the background as I started to drift to sleep._

Someone was gently poking me in the shoulder. I woke up dazed. It was Edward.

_What? _I mouthed. My hands were still cupping my chin. My position hadn't changed.

"We're supposed to be dissecting a cow's eye," he whispered.

"What?!" I responded.

"Sh!" he shushed. I sat up and rubbed my face with my hand. Mr Crenzer was handing out a tray with an eyeball in it to each pair. Luckily, he was all the way at the front of the classroom.

I swear, from the corner of my eye, I could see Edward grasping so hard onto the desk that little woodchips were falling from it. I turned my head to look at him. He was staring straight ahead but his eyes were coal-black and filled with anger.

Finally, Mr Crenzer came up to our table and handed us a tray.

As he walked off I asked Edward, "Um, do you want to dissect it first?"

He didn't look at me. He continued to stare ahead as he shook his head. I picked up the scalpel and slid the tray in front of me. I stared at the creepy looking eye for a while before I slowly sliced it open. To my complete surprise, a gooey black substance poured out of it.

I looked away. I'd never dissected an eye before. I'd only learnt about it.

A weird smell arose from the black substance. This was making me feel queasy. I had to get out of here.

I think Edward had seen me go green because he raised his hand and asked if he should take me outside. Strange.

He lifted me up with one arm and I looked at him. "Just stay here."

He was surprised by the remark and immediately sat down. I ran out the classroom and leaned against the wall. I took two deep breaths and sat down.

I'd always felt nauseous around blood and icky substances. Especially icky black substances.

After about two minutes, I got up and went back into the classroom.

"Feeling better, Bella?" Mr Crenzer asked.

"Um, not really. Can I please go home? I don't feel well at all," I pleaded. He nodded.

I walked out the door.

I turned the corner to the school parking lot and a white, muscle-y figure with tousled bronze hair leaning against a silver Volvo parked next to my truck. That was odd. This morning, when I came to school, there was no sign of a silver Volvo, especially not parked right next to me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked angrily.

"Mr Crenzer wanted me to make sure you were okay," Edward insisted.

"Well, I'm fine. You can go away now."

Edward hesitated and put his hand on my forehead.

"Um, what the hell are you doing?"

"Just checking."

"Edward. Why don't you just tell me what's going on? Everything can go back to normal after that."

"That's the thing. It _won't_ be normal after I tell you."

He walked back into the school.

I sighed and found a note in my truck. Why did he always leave notes? Couldn't he find the courage to have an actual conversation with me?

_Bella,_

_I want to talk to you about this as much as you want to hear about it._

_But, I just can't. You don't realise how hard this is for me. Please, _

_just stay away from me._

_Edward Cullen._

I was furious. Stay away from him? It wasn't as easy as he thought it was. How was it hard for him? It was hard for _me. _He wouldn't explain anything and now he expected me to forget about it and stay away from him. Such a jerk.

I was driving home, trying to forget about all this Edward Cullen business.

I could hear a faint screaming sound coming from the forest. It was the voice of a man. His voice sounded quite far away. I stopped the truck but didn't know what else to do.

I began to panic. I could hear the sound of a car coming this way. It was approaching fast. Hopefully, whoever was in it, would be able to help.

Oh, no. No, no, no. Silver Volvo?! It couldn't be. The Volvo stopped next to my truck.

Edward and his pixie-like sister, Alice, got out of the car.

Just what I needed, Edward Cullen. _Great_.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned. Alice raised an eyebrow and looked at Edward. He nodded at her.

"Hi! You must be Bella. I'm Alice! Edward's sister," Alice introduced. I smiled at her. Well, she seems nice enough. She was definitely not as shy as her brother.

"Bella, I think you should go home," Edward suggested.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's not safe here. Someone's being attacked in the forest," Alice insisted.

"Don't you think we should help them rather than go home?" I questioned.

"Edward and I will take care of it. You should go home and get some rest, Bella," Alice said.

I grimaced. I couldn't be bothered arguing.

That night before I went to bed, Charlie wanted to talk to me and it seemed pretty urgent. "Bella, be careful out side, okay? A hiker was attacked by some kind of animal in the forest today. I don't want you wandering around out there alone. Actually, try to avoid the forest area."

"Dad. We're surrounded by forest. I'll _try _to stay away."

When I was in bed, I decided to confront Edward the next day. I had a desire to know who he was and why he was so... strange.

As I walked into the cafeteria on Tuesday, I didn't see any of the Cullens. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to talk with Edward but I didn't mind too much.

I went to sit down at the table where Mike, Jess and the others were sitting. As soon as I sat down, Jess said, "Bella, Edward Cullen keeps looking at you funny." I turned to look at where she was staring.

It was true. Edward Cullen was looking at me funny but I hadn't seen him as I walked in. Probably because he kept his head down and the cafeteria was quite crowded.

He was looking at me through his eyelashes. I knew that this was the perfect moment to talk to him.

"I'll be right back," I told Jess. I walked over to his table but stood behind the chair. "Hey." He looked up with an innocent smile on his face. Oh, he was so beautiful! I couldn't possibly be angry with someone so good-looking.

I sat down and put my elbows on the table.

"Um, I got your note," I smiled. He sighed as he shook his head. "What?" I questioned.

"I told you to stay away from me," he whispered as he got up and walked away.

I could feel the anger starting to creep up on me but I had to remind myself to focus. I wasn't here, trying to talk to him, to get angry. I was here trying to figure things out.

I needed to get out of town. Maybe Port Angeles. I couldn't think about this anymore.

I got up and stormed over to Jess' table.

"Back already, Bella?" she teased. I grimaced. "Sorry. Sit down."

I pulled a chair out and sat down next to her.

"I haven't seen a movie in ages. We should go this weekend," Mike said to me.

"Okay, sure! What movie?" Jess interrupted.

"Um, I was kind of talking t-" he paused when I shook my head at him. "Uh, whatever movie you want. We should all go." I smiled.

The rest of the week was a blur. I didn't speak to Edward Cullen because he wasn't there and if he was, he would ditch Biology and avoid me as much as possible, so I didn't bother taking any notice.

Tonight, Mike, Angela, Eric and I were all going to see the movie, _Yes Man._ I wasn't in the mood for too much romance or horror.

Jess couldn't make it because she was coming down with the flu but she was absolutely devastated that she couldn't spend time with Mike.

There were a few more hours until Mike was supposed to pick me up.

I decided to do some thinking.


	6. Phone Call

_**Previously:**_

_There were a few more hours until Mike was supposed to pick me up._

_I decided to do some thinking._

___________________________________________________________________________

I couldn't keep my theories about Edward in the back of my head anymore so I wanted to look into them and possibly do some research.

_Theory One:__ The Hulk. Maybe Edward had been part of a lab experiment. Maybe not._

_Theory Two:__ Peter Parker. Edward might've been bitten by a radioactive spider. Hmm, that seemed quite possible. As possible as the first theory._

The phone rang. Who could that be?

"Bella! It's Jake! He wants to speak to you," Charlie called from downstairs.

Well, now I couldn't research. I wonder what Jake wanted to talk about. Oh well, I hope it would pass the next few hours slowly.

I ran down and snatched the phone from Charlie's hands.

"Hey, Jake!"

"Hey, Bella. How's it going?"

"Um, pretty good, I guess. How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So, was there something you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Uh, I was just wondering if you wanted to come down to La Push tonight."

"Oh. Um, I would really love to but I'm actually going to the movies tonight."

"Oh. Oh, okay. I see."

"Um, but I would really, really want to go another time."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Well, um, bye then."

"Wait, Jake. Can you do me a favour?"

"Yeah, sure."

"You mentioned the Quileute's when we were at La Push. You never really told me much about them and I was wondering if you would now."

"Yeah, sure, of course. Um, remember, these are just legends, okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay. Well, there are legends that we are descendants of wolves. And then, there are the stories about the cold ones."

"Cold ones?"

"Yeah. The legends say that my great-grandfather knew a few of them. He started the treaty to keep them off our land."

"Why keep them off your land?"

"Well, you see, the cold ones are werewolves' natural enemies."

"Werewolves have enemies?"

"Yeah, but only one."

"Oh, okay. That's really interesting. What _exactly_ are the cold ones?"

"Vampires."

I froze. Vampires? Vampires. But... how?

"Bella? You still there?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry. What do you mean by vampires?"

"Like bloodsuckers. You know, 'I vont to suck your blood'."

"Right. Um, right."

"Did I scare the living daylights out of you?"

"Um, hah, yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no. Not at all."

"Okay... So, how's school?"

"Well, Edward Cullen is still being the same old jerk."

I could hear Jake scoffing. "Typical."

"Yeah. I'm just going to try and ignore him." Not that it'll work...

"Good for you. That reminds me..."

"Of what?"

"Oh, I don't think I can tell you right now."

"Why not?"

"Billy might hear me. I'm in my room but he tends to 'accidently' overhear my conversations on the phone," Jake whispered.

"Oh, um, okay. You'll tell me when we meet, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Um, don't you have like a movie to go to?"

I looked at the time. "Oh, crap. Yeah, I'm sorry. But I'll see you at La Push someday."

"Yeah, of course. Oh, I'm free tomorrow. Do you want to go then?"

"Yes, definitely. Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow!"

"Okay, bye, Bella."

I hung up. I was curious about what Jake had been reminded of when I spoke of Edward.

I couldn't wait to hear about it tomorrow.

I ran into the bathroom to have a shower and get changed. I didn't know what to wear. I couldn't be bothered picking a dress because I didn't have very many. I stuck with my usual sweats and choked down a plate of lasagne.

There was still about another 15 minutes before Mike was coming to pick me up. I had gotten ready surprisingly quickly.

The doorbell rang. I trudged to the door and when I opened it, Mike had a big grin spread across his face.

"Ready?" he asked, a little too eager.

"Yeah, sure," I replied with a small grin. "Dad! I'm going to the movies now!" I yelled to Charlie.

"Have fun, kiddo!" he yelled back.

As we walked to Mike's car, he put his arm around me. I didn't like Mike in _that_ kind of way. But I wasn't sure how to tell him without disappointing him.

Mike tried to start a number of conversations during the car ride, in which I gave very short, mumbled responses.

I was couldn't stop thinking about what Jacob said as soon as I spoke of Edward Cullen.

Mike didn't give up though. He continued to bring up random topics until, thank goodness, we arrived at the theatre with Angela and Eric waiting for us out front.

As we were walking towards them, something caught my eye.

A silver Volvo was parked a few rows away from where Mike had parked. Could it be Edward? It couldn't. I'm sure there would be a few other silver Volvos' in Port Angeles.

A thought hit me. It hit me hard. Why in the world, did I care if that was Edward Cullen's car? I think it was because a tiny part of me wanted to see him. But I refused to believe it.

"Bella! Mike!" Angela called out.

"Hey, guys. When'd you get here?" Mike asked.

"Little while ago," Ben answered.

We walked into the theatre after we had bought our snacks.

To my surprise, the theatre was jam-packed. Luckily, there were four empty seats in the back row.

I sat on one end, next to Mike. I couldn't see the stranger sitting next to me because it was so dark.

When the curtains opened and the screen lit up, I could see from the corner of my eye, that the stranger went completely stiff. He was gripping onto the other arm rest and leaning away from me. Was he okay?

I turned and asked him if he was alright.

Half way through the sentence, I froze.

"Edward Cullen?" I questioned.

He stopped breathing. Oh, no.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled.

"Um, I've come to see the movie..."

He got up in a quick movement -which made me jump- and stormed out of the theatre.

"Was that Cullen?" Mike asked, suspiciously.

"Um, I don't know," I said even thought I _did_ know. Mike scoffed quietly and shook his head.

___________________________________________________________________________

I laughed as one of the main characters did something funny. Mike chuckled loudly, but it sounded fake.

I had taken the arm rest between me and Mike.

A large rough hand slowly slipped into mine. Mike. What was he doing?

Before he was able to grasp onto it, I put my hand to my face and pretended to sneeze.

"Bless you," he smiled. The corner of my lip pulled up. I didn't like it when Mike tried to be romantic. He didn't seem like the romantic type.

I folded my hands neatly in my lap.

A black figure was walking up the aisle and blocking Mike's view of the screen. I could tell because he was frantically moving his head about.

The black figure stopped at our row and looked away as he edged his way past. He hesitated and then sat down beside me. Edward was back.

"Why'd you leave?" I whispered. He stared at the screen without saying a word.

At that moment, Mike's arm was creeping up towards me as he was pretending to yawn.

"Follow me," Edward whispered.

He got up and took my hand. I was confused, but I followed him. I resisted the urge to turn back and look at my friends' faces.

As soon as we were out of the theatre, Edward let go of me.

"What was that for?" I eyed him, suspiciously.

"Would you rather have stayed there and let him all over you?" he sounded angry.

"Um, no. Thanks, I guess."

He scoffed and walked back and forth outside the theatre.

"You know, I really don't get you," I admitted. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me as though I'd just said I was 100 years old. "Why do you sometimes act like you hate my guts and then your all happy and joking around?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Excuse me? You kiss me and then, you ignore me! How do you explain that?"

He didn't answer. "See? You're doing it now. I mean I _had _my theories but now they don't seem enough."

"You had theories?"

"Yeah. First, I figured you kissed me and then ignored me because you were just really shy."

He snorted. "You're surely right about that."

"Am I?"

He looked away. So, I was right in the beginning. He _was_ shy.

"Why did you take me out here?"

"Because Mike was going to kiss you."

"What?! He was going to _kiss_ me? How do you know?"

"I heard him thinking it. And then, I saw him imagining the two of you, kissing."

"Wait... You _saw_ and _heard_ his thoughts? So, you can read minds or something?"

He sighed and went to sit down on one of the large, round, velvet seats.

___________________________________________________________________________

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter. I had fun writing it :) Thanks heaps to Leon!**


	7. The Truth

_**Previously:**_

"_Wait... You saw and heard his thoughts? So, you can read minds or something?"_

_He sighed and went to sit down on one of the large, round, velvet seats._

___________________________________________________________________________

He put his head in his hands and didn't answer.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Edward looked up at me with his beautiful honey golden eyes. I completely forgot how to breathe for a few seconds, and then, I was gasping for air.

"Yes, I can read his mind. Whoever's mind you ask me to read, I will be able to."

"What about that guy?" I asked as I jerked my thumb in the direction of the male behind the popcorn stand.

"He wants more customers before he kills himself, but not in a literal sense, of course."

"Okay... Um, what about her?" I questioned as I jerked my head towards a girl who was walking quickly towards the bathroom.

"She desperately needs to use the toilet before she misses the movie she is planning to see."

"Wow. No offence, but I'm not entirely convinced. Why don't you read my mind then?" I actually _did_ believe that he could read minds but I refused to think it.

"I didn't tell you that there was one exception."

"So, you can't read my mind?"

"No. And, you have no idea how much that frustrates me."

"Well, I guess you know how normal people feel now."

He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I should take you home."

"But, what about the movie and my friends?"

"Do you honestly want to go back in there?"

"I guess not. Who knows what Mike wants to do?"

He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, _I do_.

The car ride was silent as I stared out the window. Edward drove too fast. The forest surrounding us looked like a blurry green and black wall.

He was gripping onto the steering wheel so hard, that his knuckles were going white. He was growling and cussing under his breath.

"Are you, um, alright there?" I asked.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head so he was facing the roof of the car.

"Watch the road!" I yelled. Automatically, I reached for the steering wheel.

My hand touched his hand for the quickest amount of time possible, but it felt as though an electric current had just passed through my entire body. His hand was ice cold.

Reacting to the electric feel and coldness of his hand, I pulled my hand back immediately.

Edward's eyes snapped open and he pulled his hand back, too. He stared at me, guiltily.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but I opened mine too. I stopped to let him speak but he didn't.

"Um, thanks for the ride," I said as I got out of his car. He sighed and didn't look at me.

I was almost asleep before I realised that I had left my jacket in Edward's car. Oh well, he could keep it for all I cared. I had plenty of jackets.

I woke up when a loud clap of thunder struck. It was raining as I walked out to my truck wearing a hooded jacket.

My truck was so nice and warm inside.

Charlie had left for work, so I was free to go to La Push.

___________________________________________________________________________

Before I was able to cut the engine, Jake came sprinting out the door of his small house. The sound of my truck was very recognisable to him.

Jacob looked so much taller than he'd been the last time I'd seen him.

As I was climbing out of the truck, Jake leaned against the passenger side door, his hair damp.

"Jake, it's raining. You could've stayed inside instead of coming out here," I said.

"I'm not cold. And, it's only starting to drizzle now. I was thinking we could head up to the beach."

"In _this_ weather?"

"Yeah. It'll be good because no one else will be on the beach. But if you're cold then I guess we could stay here or something."

"Oh, I'm okay. We'll go to the beach."

Jake flashed a bright smile across his face that I didn't think I would ever be able to forget.

As we walked along the beach, he didn't say much so I decided to ask him what he was reminded of when we were on the phone.

"So... Um, what were you going to tell me last night?"

He stopped and looked at me.

"What? Did I say something?" I asked self-consciously.

"Um, no, not at all. I just didn't think you'd remember."

"Of course I'd remember. I mean, you were talking about vampires. Who couldn't forget that? What were you reminded of when I started talking about Edward Cullen?"

"Well. It's just that—He's kind of connected to my story about the werewolves and the cold ones."

"What?! How? How is Edward connected to your legends?"

"You know how I told you about the cold ones? The ones that my great-grandfather met?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, well, we are supposedly descendants of the wolves. He is too. But not the wolves."

"So, you're saying... he's a descendant of the cold ones?"

"No. He was one of the same ones that my great-grandfather had met."

"Oh," was the best response I could think of.

After that conversation, the walk on the beach was quiet.

The rain started to get heavier and we were far from Jacob's house.

"Oh, crap. We'd better run. Come on, let's go!" he yelled as he grabbed my arm and started running.

"I-- can't-- keep-- up!" I yelled as we got closer to Jacob's house. I was panting. I stumbled over my feet and fell onto the sand, pulling Jacob down as I went. We were both laughing.

"Haha, sorry, Jake. You run too fast."

"No, you run too slow!" he chuckled.

It was so weird. To be lying here with Jacob, hand-in-hand and having so much fun. We were both staring up at the sky, raindrops sprinkling all over our faces.

"That was fun. Do you want to go back now?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Not yet. I just want to enjoy the moment. Don't you?"

"Of course."

We lay still for another moment and then he rolled onto his side, facing me. I turned to look at him and he was staring into my eyes. I smiled.

As I turned to face the sky, he leaned in and kissed my cheek. Why were people doing this? I didn't like Jacob as more than a friend and he kissed me. And, Mike! Ugh, I felt so guilty.

I sat up and turned to look at him. He smiled gently.

I'm sure he saw something in my eyes because he asked me what was wrong.

"Listen, Jake, I'm really sorry. I just don't think I like you that way. You're a really good friend and I don't want you to mean anything different. I'm really sorry."

His face fell but then lit back up after a moment. "It's okay. We can still hang out though, right?"

"Yeah, sure, of course. Maybe I should go though."

"No! No, don't go. Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Let's just forget that I did, okay?"

I smiled and nodded. He stood up and then helped me up. We walked back to Jacob's house and talked about school and our friends. I didn't mention Edward and neither did he.

It was getting dark and I decided to go home. Jacob kept insisting that I stay but I had to make dinner for Charlie.

___________________________________________________________________________

"Bella?" Charlie asked as he opened the door.

"In the kitchen, Dad."

"Oh, hey, hon. I bought pizza so you don't have to cook tonight."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Dad."

Charlie took his belt off and hung it up. As he went to sit down, he asked, "How was Jacob's?"

"Er, pretty good, I guess. We went to the beach."

"In _this_ weather? You kids must be crazy. You might be sick."

"I feel fine, Dad. Don't worry, it was fun."

Charlie muttered something that sounded like, _Kids these days_, under his breath.

"Do you know the Cullens, Dad?"

"Yeah. Dr. Carlisle Cullen works down at the hospital. They got a good-looking family over there, hey?"

"Um, sure, Dad. Is Dr. Cullen Edward's dad?"

"Edward Cullen? Yeah. You know the boy?"

"Er, yeah, he's in my Biology class."

"You fancy him?"

"Dad! Nobody uses 'fancy' anymore and no, I don't like him."

"Seems like a pretty good kid to me. _All_ the Cullen kids seem good."

Speaking of Edward, I had to do some research. I had to look up these _cold ones_.


	8. Revealed

_**Previously:**_

_Speaking of Edward, I had to do some research. I had to look up these cold ones._

___________________________________________________________________________

After dinner, I told Charlie I had a lot of homework to catch up on and I wanted to get a good night's sleep. He didn't seem entirely convinced but I was sure he was going to be too lazy watching a game to check up on me every 10 minutes to make sure I hadn't snuck out.

This would be perfect. Alone time to look into my conversation with Jake.

I sat down on my bed, cross-legged, and turned on my laptop sitting in front of me.

I typed _Quileute legends _into a search engine and it came up with a number of websites. I clicked on the first one and there were some highlighted and underlined words. I scrolled down to a passage about enemies and foes. There was a sentence that caught my attention.

_...the cold ones, otherwise known as blood drinkers._

Even though Jacob had already told me about this, a chill raced down my spine as I read it.

I typed in _cold ones and blood drinkers_ and clicked on a link which mentioned all the characteristics of these cold ones. Alternative name: vampires. I didn't like to use the alternative name for blood drinkers, because every time I did, my mind seemed to go numb and my body would feel hot and cold simultaneously.

_Speed. Incredible strength. Pale, ice-cold skin. Immortality._

Edward. Vampire.

It was so hard to believe because I knew it was true. Edward Cullen was a vampire.

I shut my laptop down without even closing the website.

I hadn't had a shower yet but I couldn't move. I sat, motionless, trying to get the words to sink in.

I put my laptop back on the desk and kicked my shoes off. I lay on my bed. Sure, it wasn't as comfortable as it would've been if I'd had a shower and pulled the quilt over me, but I couldn't care less at the moment.

Eventually, unconsciousness swept over me.

I dreamed about Edward Cullen. We were on the beach again, but this time, his eyes were black and he was staring at me. He was crouching, like he was ready to pounce at any moment. But, I wasn't afraid. I had no insane idea why but I just wasn't.

The weekend passed quickly. For some reason, I was eager to see Edward. I wanted him to know that I wasn't afraid and that I knew who he really was.

That wet morning at school, I sat in my truck, waiting for a silver Volvo to show up. It didn't.

A wave of disappointment flooded my insides. I didn't speak to my friends very much.

I walked to Biology, the class before lunch, still disappointed but I hoped, in the pit of my stomach, that he would just appear out of nowhere.

There he was. Sitting in his seat, looking as beautiful and perfect as usual. The disappointment flowed out of my system and was replaced with relief.

He didn't look at me as I came to sit down next to him. His eyes were a lovely honey golden colour.

I decided to speak. "Hi."

He glanced at me for a second and looked out the window.

We didn't speak again after that and I began to become quite angry. I hated his random mood swings. They bugged the hell out of me.

I didn't bother to look at him as he slowly slid his hand toward mine and then pulled it back.

After Biology, I stormed out of the room, all the way to my locker.

I was shoving my books in, when out of nowhere, a tall muscular figure was leaning against the locker to my left, his beautiful eyes boring into mine.

I lost my breath for a moment, and then came back to reality when I realised that I was supposed to be angry with him.

"Ugh!" I growled as I walked quickly to the school parking lot. I was positive he would follow me. I was right. As soon as I reached the parking lot, and turned around, he was right there.

"I know what you are," I whispered.

"No. No, you can't," he frowned. He grabbed my wrist and towed me towards the forest. He stopped after a few minutes of walking.

"Why? Why did I have to meet you?" he asked so quietly, that it sounded like he was speaking to himself.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm a monster. I'm putting your life in danger."

"Because I know what you are? That hardly makes sense."

"No. You don't understand. You never can. I'm not a super hero, Bella."

"But you're not the bad guy either. Wait, do you drink human blood?"

"I'm a vampire, Bella. What do you think?"

"But... No... You can't drink human blood..."

"I don't. You have to be afraid. You can't be near me."

"Why?"

"You have no idea what I'm capable of. I could kill you so easily, simply by accident. You can't escape me, Bella."

"What if I don't want to?"

"You must want to. I may have to kill you now. You know my secret."

"I won't tell anyone, I swear. I would never do that."

"You aren't afraid that I could kill you right this second? Without a single witness to know about it? You aren't afraid of who I am?"

"No. No, I'm not afraid and I don't want to be either. I don't care who you are."

"You should take that back."

"Why?"

Before I could gather my thoughts, he pulled me up on his back and told me to hold on.

It was so exhilarating. The speed of his run. The air whooshed past my face, a burning sensation against my cheeks. The air felt so cold whenever I breathed it in. I felt like I was flying.

He stopped and put me down. I was gasping for air.

"Are you scared now?"

I couldn't speak yet. I shook my head. I started to feel dizzy and my vision was going crazy. The forest around me tilted to the side. Before I could feel the impact of hitting the ground, a pair of strong, steel, cold arms caught me.

"Um, are you okay, Bella?"

I was still gasping. I couldn't breathe. "Yeah, just... a little... winded."

"Oh, sorry. Um, is there anything I can, um, do for you?"

I shook my head in response. He held me in an awkward position in his arms.

"Um, you can put me down, if you want."

"Oh, right, yeah."

He put me down and took a step back. I put my head in between my knees and took deep breaths. As soon as I calmed down, I slowly got up.

"Maybe you shouldn't get up."

I put my hand on my head and stumbled around. Edward grabbed my wrist.

"Where are we?"

"Does it really matter?"

"If we're going to get back, then of course it does!"

"I'll take you back."

"We're not running again are we?"

"Just, um, close your eyes. It helps."

He pulled me back on his back and made sure I had my eyes closed before he took off again.

___________________________________________________________________________

"We're here."

I opened my eyes to see that we were back in the school parking lot. "How long have we been gone?"

"About 15 minutes. We still have a little while until lunch is over."

I sighed. I couldn't go through the rest of the day with all that had just happened on my mind.

"Are you going back to class?" I questioned. He nodded.

"I don't think I can go back," I sighed.

Edward raised his eyebrow and chuckled with mock humor. "Why? Did I frighten you?"

"No."

"Did I creep you out?"

"No."

"Do you think I'm a freak?"

"No! I don't care what you are. You don't frighten me, Edward Cullen."

He chortled and shook his head as he started to walk towards his car.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He didn't answer me while he reached for something in his car. He didn't meet my gaze as held out a familiar dark blue hooded jacket towards me.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot that. Um, thanks." I took it out of his hands and put my arms through the sleeves. I could smell his sweet scent all over the jacket and I inhaled it in. He raised his eyebrow, embarrassing me. Blood rushed through my veins and up to my cheeks.

"How long have we been gone?" I sighed as I looked back to the school.

"About 15 minutes. We have another 10 or so minutes of lunch."

I nodded and walked towards the cafeteria. I didn't think he'd follow me but when I turned my head around to check, he was right next to me. Wow, he was very quiet.

Jessica's mouth popped open as soon as she saw me and Edward walk into the cafeteria together. Her eyes widened in shock. Mike must've seen her expression because he soon turned around and his mouth popped open too. I think I saw a bit of drool.

They both looked like those clowns at the county fair where you had to throw balls in their mouths.

I smiled back sheepishly. Edward smiled a beautiful crooked smile at me before he walked to his table. I saw Rosalie (I was sure that was her name) give me a death glare. I scurried to the table where my friends sat.

"Hey, guys," I tried to say casually. My voice broke. _Great_. Just what I needed.

"Are you and Edward Cullen, like, together?" Jess asked suspiciously.

"Um, I don't really know what you mean. But, no, we're not, like, together," I mocked her.

"Yeah, whatever, Bella. I don't like you guys together. He's... well, weird... and a freak," Mike insisted.

"I told you, we're not together."

Mike shook his head and Jess raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

After lunch, Jess wouldn't stop asking me about Edward Cullen. She kept going on and on about whether we would make a good couple or not and how she thought he was weird. I tuned out about halfway and just nodded and smiled whenever I thought it was appropriate.

___________________________________________________________________________

The day passed by slowly, what with Jess and her remarks.

I was packing my books into my backpack when someone put their hand on my locker door.

"Hey, Bella," a rough voice said.

I turned to see Mike leaning against my locker with his face just inches from mine. I immediately flinched, taking a small step back. "Er, hi, Mike."

"So, I was wondering who you were going to the dance with this Saturday."

I had no idea that the dance was this Saturday. I barely even knew we were having a dance! Oh, crap. I would have to make something up.

"The dance is this Saturday? Wow, that was fast. Um, I'm not going with anyone."

"So... How 'bout you go with me?"

"Um, I don't think that would be fair to Jess. I mean, she really likes you."

"If I go with Jess, you're going to go with that Cullen freak, right?"

"No. I don't think I'm going to the dance at all."

"Oh. I get it. See you later."

Mike turned and walked out of the hallway with his shoulders slouched.

I didn't mean to reject Mike but I didn't like him that way and I had absolutely no idea how to dance.

___________________________________________________________________________

Charlie came home late and went straight to bed after dinner. He said that he was absolutely exhausted because he was working on another case about a hiker being attacked.

I went to my room a little while after Charlie had gone to sleep. My digital alarm clock read 9:30PM. I had no homework tonight, which was a relief.

I was slowly drifting in and out of unconsciousness when I heard a muffled laugh. I tilted my head upwards and looked around my room. It was blurry so I rubbed my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Edward Cullen was sitting at the foot of my bed, his hand cupped over his mouth, staring at me.

"Edward? Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Um, sorry for, er, waking you."

"It's okay... Why are you here?"

"Um... Because I, er, like to watch you sleep."

"Wait, do you come here a lot?"

"Er, only the past couple of weeks or so."

"What? Really?"

He nodded, looking embarrassed and ashamed. I laughed and he looked up with the crooked smile on his face.

"Why do you like watching me sleep?"

"Because... Well... You talk. And I find that unusually fascinating."

Oh, no! No, no, no, no. My eyes widened in horror. I talked in my sleep! Who knows what I could've been saying!?

"Oh, er, is that what made you laugh before?"

He nodded and tried to hold back a smile.

"Oh, no. What did I say?"

"I don't think you'd want to know."

NO! No, no, no, no. How could this be happening?! "Please tell me."

"You were saying, 'Edward. Edward, where are you? I don't care who you are. You'll always be my Edward'," he explained as he tried not to laugh.

"No!" I shrieked as I buried my face into my pillow.

"Uh, it's nothing to, er, worry about, Bella. I won't tell anyone."

"Ugh, how could I be so dumb?!" I whispered as I sat up and slapped forehead.

He laughed and then reached out to me but then pulled his hand back.

"I'm really sorry you had to hear that," I apologised.

A crooked smile spread across his beautiful face. He glanced at the door and the smile disappeared. "Charlie. Go to sleep!" he whispered, and he was gone.

I lay back down and closed my eyes. I tried to make my breathing sound calm, I even through in a quiet snoring so it would seem more real.

Charlie fumbled around with the doorknob and finally got it open. I knew he would peek in.

"Bella? Hon, you awake?" he whispered. I continued with my charade until heard him close the door and creep back into his room.

I would wait a few minutes before sitting back up.

Before I was able to even wait the slightest second, a soft, smooth, velvet voice whispered, "Bella."

He was back already. My eyes snapped open and I sat up. I wonder where he hid.


	9. Explanations & RayBans

**Hello! :)  
Thanks to everybody who's taken the time to review and thanks for all the helpful tips! Really appreciate it and sorry for late updates! Enjoy :)  
Jess**

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_**Previously:**_

_He was back already. My eyes snapped open and I sat up. I wonder where he hid._

___________________________________________________________________________

"Where'd you hide?" I eyed, suspiciously.

"Um, in your, uh... closet."

I giggled at the thought of having a vampire hiding in my closet.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's just I'd never thought I would have a vampire hiding in my closet."

His crooked smile reappeared and I couldn't help but smile back.

"By the way, you really don't know how to snore, do you?"

I laughed and shook my head.

This new 'outgoing' Edward seemed so much more fun to be around. Okay, so he wasn't really outgoing, and he was still a bit shy, but it was much better than when he wouldn't talk to me at all.

"Do you really not care who I am? You still aren't afraid of me?" he asked as he went and sat in the rocking chair in the corner if my room.

"No," I replied with a firm voice.

A memory came flowing back into my mind. The hikers. The ones that were attacked. Why had Edward and Alice been so eager for me to leave the last time? Something was definitely going on.

"Wait a minute... I just remembered something," I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow and came to sit at the foot of my bed.

"The hikers. They weren't attacked by animals, were they...?" I gasped.

Edward closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He slowly shook his head and opened his eyes to watch for my expression.

I took a deep breath in. I started to hyperventilate.

"Bella? Are you okay? Please don't scream or do anything drastic."

I shook my head and tried to calm myself down.

"So... there are other vampires. How many?"

"Here in Forks, we only know of our family. But there are many more around the world."

"Oh. So, who's attacking the hikers?"

"We don't know. I didn't want you to be too close to the forest last time."

"Why?"

"Well, because... um, your blood is quite mouth-watering."

I gasped. I looked at him in horror and then confusion.

"What do you mean? Is my blood appealing to all vampires?"

"Well, technically, no. You know how everybody has their own taste in things? Well, different vampires have different likings for human blood. But my family does consider you a part of the top ten most appealing."

"Wait... you have a list?" I flinched.

"This is why I was acting funny on your first day. I had to avoid you as much as possible. If I had given into temptation, my entire family would be devastated. I had to think of all the people it would affect. Especially, me. I didn't want to become the monster I'd tried so hard not to be."

"I'm so sorry. I should've just given you your space. Sorry for being so nasty."

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry for almost killing you. But it's good because now you know who I am and you know that I wasn't purposely trying to upset you."

"I'm glad I know the reason why you didn't want to talk to me. But, I guess, I'm supposed to stay away from you now."

"Yes. That is the smartest option."

"But, I honestly don't give a damn whether you're a vampire or not. I still want to know who you are. I really don't think I can stay away."

"Bella, please don't say that. You must care that I am a vampire. There will be consequences in knowing my secret."

"I'm willing to take those chances."

"Bella, you're making this so much more difficult for me. But, I honestly don't think I can stay away anymore, either. I've tried so hard but I guess I'm not strong enough to stay away."

I grinned at him and he smiled crookedly back.

Edward said he was going to leave after I had fallen asleep. I guessed that he was hoping for more sleep-talking.

When I woke up, he was gone. I was looking forward to seeing him again.

___________________________________________________________________________

I drove to school, fidgeting the whole way. What was wrong with me...? Oh, no. Did have a crush on Edward Cullen? No, no. I couldn't think of that. Only friends, only friends, nothing more.

I arrived and there was an available spot next to a silver Volvo. It was the closest spot to the cafeteria. Might as well take it.

As I climbed out, Edward was leaning against the hood of his car wearing black Ray Bans when it wasn't sunny.

I wasn't sure if he was waiting for me so I decided to just keep walking. Before I was able to turn around to look at him, he was right next to me.

"Um, hi, Edward."

He smiled crookedly and kept his pace.

"So, uh, when did you leave last night?"

"About 4 in the morning."

"What?! That means you only got a few hours sleep. You shouldn't have stayed so late."

"Bella. I don't sleep."

"Uh, what do you mean? Do you have like a disorder?"

"No. We don't sleep at all, Bella. Ever."

I mouthed _Oh_.

"Bella!" Jessica yelled from behind us. I immediately turned my head.

"Hey, Jess," I smiled.

"Hi..." she paused as she saw who was standing next to me. Edward grinned and nodded towards Jess.

"Uh, I'll see you in Trig..." she stammered as she waved and walked off.

Biology was the first class today, so Edward and I walked together and talked about not being able to sleep.

"I like your Ray Bans," I complimented him. He smiled crookedly and took them off as we reached our Biology lab.

I sat down and he sat down next to me. He took his glasses off and put them in my hand.

"What's this? No, you can't give me these. They're yours."

"Don't worry. I have plenty more where that came from."

"Thanks," I said as I put them in my backpack and then looked up at him to smile. I hadn't noticed before, but his eyes were coal black. And, there were light purple bruise-like circles under his eyes. "Your... eyes. Why do they change colour?"

"I... um... It's nothing." He closed his eyes and turned his head to look out the window.

Mr. Crenzer hadn't arrived yet.

"Bella!" Mike yelled. I flinched.

"Oh, um, hey, Mike."

"So, are you sure you don't want to go to the dance with me?"

"Sorry, I'm not going to the dance, remember? And, I can't really dance."

"So, you're not going because you can't dance?"

I swore, in the corner of my eye, I could see a smile spread across Edward's face.

"Um, I'm also going to... uh, Port Angeles. Yeah, sorry."

Mike nodded and went back to his desk.

I could hear Edward trying to muffle his laughter. I looked at him and raised my eyebrow.

Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned my head and Tyler was standing there, smiling like an idiot.

"Er, hi, Tyler..."

"Hey, Bella."

"Why are you whispering?"

"Oh, um, I don't want Mike to hear. I was just wondering... Um, did you want to go to the dance with me?"

"Oh, um, I'm not going to the dance."

"Oh, really? Oh."

"Yeah, I already told Mike."

"Yeah, he said so. I thought you were just being nice."

"Sorry."

Tyler smiled sheepishly and then turned around to walk back to his table.

Edward continued with his muffled laughter until he randomly let out a guffaw.

"That wasn't funny," I scolded. I said the words one by one to put more effect into it.

He stopped laughing but had a big grin on his face. I raised my eyebrow and pursed my lips until his smile faded.

An unfamiliar looking woman walked into the classroom. She was in her late 20s or early 30s. Her blonde hair was wavy and it flowed down to her waist. Her blue eyes stood out against her black shirt. She was tall and slender. Her face was pretty and smooth.

"Good morning, students. My name is Miss Salson. Mr Crenzer is sick today, so I'm going to be filling in for him," she introduced as she put her books and bag on the front desk. "I don't teach Biology, though. I'm a History teacher."

Miss Salson let us talk for the whole lesson because Mr Crenzer hadn't had time to make up a lesson plan.

I tied my hair up into a messy ponytail when I saw Edward grip onto the table so hard, his knuckles went white.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I slowly put my hand into my lap. He nodded, a vein in his forehead sticking out. He didn't look like he was breathing.

A few seconds later, his jaw unclenched and his breathing became even. He didn't loosen his grip on the table though.

Miss Salson was walking around the classroom talking to some of the students.

Mike looked like he was trying desperately to flirt with her. Poor Jessica.

I felt bored so I took the Ray Bans out of my bag and poked Edward's shoulder. He looked up at me, puzzled. I put the glasses on and stuck my tongue out to the side. He chuckled. I smiled in return.

I saw his hand reach out to take the glasses off my face. He put them down on the table and stared into my eyes. I lost my train of thought and stopped breathing. My heart jumped frantically.

Before I could collapse, Miss Salson came to our table. My eyes darted straight to her. I smiled politely. I didn't think Edward looked away from my face because his head didn't move the slightest bit.

"Hello. What are your names?" she asked.

"Edward Cullen," he said as he reached his hand out to shake hers, still not looking away from me. She shook his with a confused expression on her face. She looked over to me, then to him, and then back to me. Then, she searched my face to see what he was staring at. I was beginning to feel self-conscious.

"Um, I'm Bella Swan," I smiled sheepishly.

"Nice to meet you two. So, what do you guys like about Biology?" she asked, trying to make small talk.

"Uh, I guess studying living things. You know, finding out how they function," I explained. She nodded and turned to Edward. I turned to look at him too. I just saw him snap out of his reverie and straighten up.

He turned to look at Miss Salson and said, "Yes, I'd have to agree with Bella."

Miss Salson nodded and a large smile spread across her face. "Oh, are you Edward Cullen, as in Dr Carlisle Cullen's son?"

Edward nodded and then turned back to me. His expression was blank as I raised my eyebrows and had the 'what are you doing?' expression written all over my face.

"You don't look like him," she added. Edward shrugged but kept his eyes on me. I had a feeling that Miss Salson was now trying to flirt with him. "So, do you want to be a doctor too?"

Edward stopped looking at me for a moment and turned back to her. "Not really. I have my own interests."

"Oh, so what are you planning to be?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure yet."

He turned back to me and Miss Salson glanced at me once more and gave up on flirting. She nodded and walked to the table behind us.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he mumbled as though I'd pulled him out of his train of thought.

"Never mind," I muttered as I shook my head.

A crooked smile suddenly spread across Edward's face. He was staring ahead though.

"What?" I eyed suspiciously.

"Jessica is going to ambush you with questions in Trigonometry."

"Why?"

"She's suspicious."

"Of what?"

"Us."

"Oh."

After Biology, I had Trig with Jess. I wasn't looking forward to the questions but I couldn't avoid her forever.

I walked in to see her bopping up and down in her seat. "Bella!" she squealed as soon as she saw me.


	10. I Think I Like Him

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Twilight series or anything to do with it. All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.

_**Previously:**_

_I walked in to see her bopping up and down in her seat. "Bella!" she squealed as soon as she saw me._

___________________________________________________________________________

I smiled sheepishly and went to sit next to her. "Hey, Jess."

"Oh my gosh, Bella! What happened this morning?! You and Edward Cullen are _so_ together! You make the cutest couple! Ah! So, what happened after I left? Did anything happen in Biology? Have you guys kissed yet?" Jess rushed out.

"No! We haven't kissed. It's not like that. We had a sub for Biology and she seemed really interested in him."

"What? Was she pretty? What'd he do?"

"Yeah, she was pretty and tall. He didn't seem to notice her very much."

"Why? What was he doing?"

"Well, um... He was... uh, nothing. He wasn't doing anything."

"Oh! He _so _likes you! Do you like him?"

"Yeah."

"No, I mean, do you _really_ like him?"

"I don't know, Jess. I mean, I guess so..."

"Ah! This is so exciting! Are you guys going out?"

"No."

"What? Oh, come on!"

"Jess, like I said, it's not like that."

"Oh, fine. But, you have to tell me if anything happens!"

"Okay, I will."

Jess continued to ask about Edward but gave up when the only answers I gave were short, mumbled ones.

At lunch, I decided to invite Edward to sit with me. I had to tell Jess before she thought I was ditching her. She took it better than I thought she would.

"_Hey, Jess, um, I'm going to be sitting with someone else today..."_

_She looked up with a puzzled expression. "Oh. Oooohh... Someone else meaning Edward Cullen?"_

"_Uh, yeah."_

"_Oh, well then, sure, go ahead! I'm so happy for you!"_

I went to the table that Edward had been sitting at, alone, that time I went to tell him I got his note. I didn't want to think about that because of the stab of rejection I felt when he walked away.

I sat, twiddling an apple in my hands. I felt nervous, afraid that he might not want to sit with me.

Then, he walked into the cafeteria. He stood out from everyone else. His beautiful, perfect features had never looked so spectacular. His pale, smooth skin was absolutely perfect. I'd never noticed his beauty so much before.

My mouth was hanging open as I stared at him. Edward raised his eyebrows and slowly approached the table where I was sitting. I recomposed myself before he was able to laugh at me.

"Um, hi. I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me...?"

He nodded as he pulled the chair out and sat down.

I could feel the blood rushing to my face as I saw him fighting a smile.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

"You, uh, like me..." he said shyly.

The blood rush got worse. My face felt very hot and I my breathing kicked up a notch. I sunk into my chair, closed my eyes and covered my face with my hand. I should've known he'd be listening.

"You were listening," I moaned. He nodded, not looking in my direction. "Why?"

"I heard the questions, and I was... curious."

I groaned. "Well, I guess that's your fault. You heard something you didn't want to hear because you were eavesdropping."

"Well... I never really said I didn't want to hear that..."

My head snapped up and my eyes narrowed. He still didn't meet my gaze. "So, we're friends?"

"I guess. I tried to stay away before but I can't. It's not the smartest choice, but I'm going to hell, anyway."

"I'm really glad you've decided to be my friend. I mean, it's hard to stay away from you too. And, when you wouldn't talk to me, I was frustrated."

"Bella... please don't be glad that I'm your friend. It's a large risk."

"Well, let's just hang out and see how things go."

He nodded and the crooked smile spread across his face. I was about to take a bite out of my apple and saw him eyeing me.

"Uh, do you want it?" I asked as I held my apple towards him. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "What? Does it smell bad?" I questioned.

He nodded and pinched his nose. I held the apple up to my nose and sniffed. I couldn't smell anything. "I don't smell anything. Oh, speaking of food, why don't you ever eat lunch?"

"I, uh... We don't, exactly, well... eat."

"Oh. So... you only drink, you know?"

He nodded. Suddenly, Edward's eyes darted to the table where the rest of his family was sitting. I turned to follow his gaze and saw Rosalie glaring at me, her eyes wide and her lips pulling slightly back over her teeth. She looked frightening. I flinched back, but couldn't look away from her.

Edward glared back at her and she narrowed her eyes, looked away and muttered something under her breath.

"Um, sorry about that..." he apologised.

"Oh, it's okay. They don't... like me, do they?"

"Well... it's not exactly you. It's just that they're afraid that our family could be exposed."

"Oh, no, I would never tell. You can trust me."

He sighed as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.


End file.
